AT the end of the year 2018, Ben Phillips gathered 16 packrafters for a 12-day self supported trip down the Colorado river in the Grand Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. First of all, you need a permit. It’s not easy to get one (it’s a lottery). Once you have it, you need to organize all the required gear because a ranger will check everything at the put-in. And the list is pretty long.
2. Going on a 12-day packrafting trip is awesome but tiring; every day you have to break camp, pack all your gear, put on some wet and cold clothes and get into your boat.
3. You need to learn what a “groover” is. And please, don’t pee in it, pee in the river.
4. All you gear goes inside the tubes of your boat and you have to pack smart (but you can still bring a couple cheeky beers!)
5. The water is BIG. Expect to swim. A lot. But even though the holes are huge, very few of them are sticky. So it always felt relatively safe to swim.
6. Zigzag a lot in the rapids to avoid holes. Holes are huge but very few of them are sticky.
7. Each campsite is special. At night in the desert, glow-in-the-dark Bocce (like lawn bowls) is a must-have.

 

A massive thanks to Ben Phillips for the invite, the planning and the guiding, you’re a legend, man!

Thanks to all the members of this amazing group of human beings for making this trip an unforgettable experience: Will, Lindsay, Jed, Jacob, Caj, Katja, Doom, Dustin, Tyler, Molly, Konstantin, Jonathan, Aubrey, Armida.

 

Thanks Alpacka Raft for the awesome boats!

 

Drawings and text by Jeremie Lamart, additional picture (Lava Falls) by Jacob Kaastrup Haagensen, pics used for gifs by Tyler Marlow.